Truck driver who hauled marijuana gets seven-year sentence

June 1

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced that a Texas truck driver caught with 380 pounds of marijuana in the back of his rig was convicted Thursday on the charge of drug possession with intent to deliver.

Hugo Sublasky, 32, of Cliff, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis with intent to deliver. He received a seven-year prison sentence.

Illinois State Police District 5 Trooper Ryan Palmer pulled Sublasky’s rig over on May 16, 2005 at the truck stop on U.S. 30 at Interstate 55 because one of his running lights was out. The trooper became suspicious while questioning Sublasky, who was evasive about his destination and cargo.

The trooper began a full safety inspection of Sublasky’s truck and obtained the driver’s consent to search the vehicle. A drug-sniffing dog that was brought to the scene alerted police to the probable presence of illegal narcotics in the back of the truck.

While searching the trailer, police found 13 duffel bags containing 380 pounds of marijuana wrapped in cellophane. The marijuana had a street value of approximately $300,000.

Glasgow credited the alert trooper for pursuing his suspicions and conducting a legal search that laid the groundwork for his prosecutors to secure a conviction.

“District 5’s state troopers are among the best at detecting suspicious activity on the highways that cut through Will County,” Glasgow said. “Truckers hauling illegal narcotics through our county stand a good change of being pulled over by a trooper who knows what to look for and how to conduct a by-the-book search that will stick in court.”

Glasgow also praised assistant state’s attorneys Mark Fleszewski, Mike Steadman and Mike Knick. All three prosecutors worked up the case with the Illinois State Police.